Full Name
Maria Tranquilli
Job Title
National Senior Director
Name of ACA member affiliation or organization
Venture at Mission Acceleration Center
Speaker Bio
Exec working at the nexus of innovation, entrepreneurship and defense. Optimist and Realist.
Maria Tranquilli stands as a dynamic force at the crossroads of innovation, entrepreneurship, and defense, leveraging over 20 years of startup experience. As the National Mission Acceleration Center Senior Director, Venture Innovation she oversees national new venture engagement, defense portfolio services and investor partnerships across the MAC national network. Maria is at the helm of driving innovation and nurturing emerging ventures, and also serves as Co-Chair of Startup Coaching at SXSW Pitch.
Prior to her latest venture, Maria was appointed Founding Director of Defense Ventures and played a pivotal part in fortifying defense-industrial partnerships crucial to America's national security and economic vitality, achieving recognition in the recently released 2023 National Defense Science and Technology Strategy.
Preceding this, she spent five influential years as NASDAQ's Head of Global Programs and Founder Community, guiding thousands of global founders through the complex journey from launch to hyper-growth, leaving an enduring impact on the global startup ecosystem. She entered the defense sector in 2012, lending her expertise to support DARPA's Adaptive Vehicle Make (AMV) program portfolio through the Manufacturing Experimentation and Outreach (MENTOR) program, outfitting maker labs in high schools across the nation to recruit early adopters related to distributed manufacturing and design experiments.
Tranquilli holds a MEd in Educational Program Design and multiple business certifications.
Maria Tranquilli stands as a dynamic force at the crossroads of innovation, entrepreneurship, and defense, leveraging over 20 years of startup experience. As the National Mission Acceleration Center Senior Director, Venture Innovation she oversees national new venture engagement, defense portfolio services and investor partnerships across the MAC national network. Maria is at the helm of driving innovation and nurturing emerging ventures, and also serves as Co-Chair of Startup Coaching at SXSW Pitch.
Prior to her latest venture, Maria was appointed Founding Director of Defense Ventures and played a pivotal part in fortifying defense-industrial partnerships crucial to America's national security and economic vitality, achieving recognition in the recently released 2023 National Defense Science and Technology Strategy.
Preceding this, she spent five influential years as NASDAQ's Head of Global Programs and Founder Community, guiding thousands of global founders through the complex journey from launch to hyper-growth, leaving an enduring impact on the global startup ecosystem. She entered the defense sector in 2012, lending her expertise to support DARPA's Adaptive Vehicle Make (AMV) program portfolio through the Manufacturing Experimentation and Outreach (MENTOR) program, outfitting maker labs in high schools across the nation to recruit early adopters related to distributed manufacturing and design experiments.
Tranquilli holds a MEd in Educational Program Design and multiple business certifications.
Speaking At
